Many
of us allow temptation to lead us to sin, and when we sin, we are likely to
blame God, feeling that he should have protected us from the temptation, or
given us the strength to overcome the temptation that led us to sin. We are
both correct and incorrect in this assumption, and the bible, in Chapter 1 of
the Book of James, explains this dichotomy, beginning at verse 12:
12
Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he
will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love
Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”;
for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14
But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15
Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is
full-grown, brings forth death.
There will be times in our lives
when we will all be pushed to a point of confrontation. Whether it is someone
who we work with who is always disagreeable, or someone who we work for who
drives us unnecessarily hard. Many was the time when I worked on a job that I
wanted to resign because I felt as if the boss was too stern for the level of
work that we were doing. I have also been the supervisor who felt as if the
staff should have been performing at a certain level and tried to push them,
perhaps too harshly, to that level. I have also been a person who endured a
good amount of bullying and teasing during my school years. There were those
who were jealous of my academic success, and there were those who just didn’t
like the way that I looked; but whatever the reason, I was picked on a lot.
The bible says that the man who
perseveres or remains steadfast in the face of trials, will receive the crown
of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. So what we see here
is that God recognizes that as believers, we will be tested and pushed, but, as
believers, God expects a greater level of restraint. Matthew 5:16 says that as
believers, we should let our Godly lights shine before men in such a way that
they may see our good works, and will glorify the Father who is in heaven. This
is to say that we should behave in such a manner that just through how we carry
ourselves, others will be inspired by us to give glory to the Lord on their
own.
The reason that the bible says that
the man who endures temptation will be blessed is because, as the bible says in
verse 13, “God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone”,
therefore, “let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’”. God will
not tempt us or allow us to be tempted, but God has given us the power to
overcome or to look beyond temptation, and to endure the trials that will come
upon us as believers in God.
Some years ago, while I was in a
neighborhood that was not the most ideal place to be, and while I was waiting
for the person whom I had dropped off to return so that we could leave, I was
standing next to my car when I was confronted by two armed men. The men
demanded my wallet, and I promptly did as I was told. Once the two men ran away
from me and got into their car, my next impulse was to get into my car and
attempt to follow them, perhaps hoping to draw the attention of the police
while I was chasing the robbers. After chasing them through several back allies
and neighborhoods, my pursuit was interrupted when another vehicle crossed my
path and impeded my progress. Since I no longer knew where the men had gone, I
discontinued the chase, but the first thing that I did was to ask God why he
allowed that to happen to me, and then I asked God how he could let me make
such a dumb decision.
To read the rest of this passage,
pick up a copy of Things That I Learned from the Word @ Amazon.com
(goo.gl/nj7ywA)
